Thermonuclear weapon

A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon, utilizing nuclear fusion. The most destructive weapons ever created, their yields typically exceed first-generation nuclear weapons by twenty times, with far lower mass and volume requirements. Characteristics of fusion reactions can make possible the use of non-fissile depleted uranium as the weapon's main fuel, thus allowing more efficient use of scarce fissile material. Its multi-stage design is distinct from the usage of fusion in simpler boosted fission weapons. The first full-scale thermonuclear test (Ivy Mike) was carried out by the United States in 1952, and the concept has since been employed by at least the five NPT-recognized nuclear-weapon states: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and France.^[1]

The design of all thermonuclear weapons is believed to be the Teller–Ulam configuration. This relies on radiation implosion, in which X-rays from detonation of the primary stage, a fission bomb, are channelled to compress a separate fusion secondary stage containing thermonuclear fuel, primarily lithium-6 deuteride. During detonation, neutrons convert lithium-6 to helium-4 plus tritium. The heavy isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, then undergo a reaction that releases energy and neutrons. For this reason, thermonuclear weapons are often colloquially called hydrogen bombs or H-bombs.^{[note 1]}

Additionally, most weapons use a natural or depleted uranium tamper and case. This undergoes fast fission from fast fusion neutrons and is the main contribution to the total yield and radioactive fission product fallout.^[2][3]

Thermonuclear weapons were thought possible since 1941 and received basic research during the Manhattan Project.^[4] The first Soviet nuclear test spurred US thermonuclear research; the Teller-Ulam configuration, named for its chief contributors, Edward Teller and Stanisław Ulam, was outlined in 1951,^[5] with contribution from John von Neumann. Operation Greenhouse investigated thermonuclear reactions before the full-scale Mike test.

Multi-stage devices were independently developed and tested by the Soviet Union (1955), the United Kingdom (1957), China (1966), and France (1968).^[6] There is not enough public information to determine whether India,^{[7][8][9][10][11]} Israel,^[12][13] or North Korea^[14][13] possess multi-stage weapons. Pakistan is not considered to have developed them.^[10][15] After the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan became the first and only countries to relinquish their thermonuclear weapons, although these had never left the operational control of Russian forces. Following the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, most countries with thermonuclear weapons maintain their stockpiles and expertise using computer simulations, hydrodynamic testing, warhead surveillance, and inertial confinement fusion experiments.

Thermonuclear weapons are the only artificial source of explosions above one megaton TNT. The Tsar Bomba was the most powerful bomb ever detonated at 50 megatons TNT.^[16] As they are the most efficient design for yields above 50 kilotons of TNT (210 TJ), and with decreased relevance of tactical nuclear weapons, virtually all nuclear weapons deployed by the five recognized nuclear-weapons states today are thermonuclear.^[17] Their development dominated the Cold War's nuclear arms race. Their destructiveness and ability to miniaturize high yields, such as in MIRV warheads, defines nuclear deterrence and mutual assured destruction. Extensions of thermonuclear weapon design include clean bombs with marginal fallout and neutron bombs with enhanced penetrating radiation. Nonetheless, most thermonuclear weapons designed, including all current US and UK nuclear warheads, derive most of their energy from fast fission, causing high fallout.^[18]

Nuclear weapons
Background
Nuclear explosion History Warfare Design Testing Delivery Yield Effects Workers Ethics Arsenals Target selection Arms race Blackmail Deterrence Espionage No first use Proliferation Disarmament Sharing Strategy Terrorism Umbrella Opposition Winter Pax Atomica
Nuclear-armed states
NPT recognized United States Russia United Kingdom France China Others India Israel (undeclared) Pakistan North Korea Former South Africa Belarus Kazakhstan Ukraine
v t e

Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).